Fundraising success and “how do we make this bike seat stop swiveling??”

Whew, where to start?! The last two weeks brought a myriad of gifts to Localmotive. Our bikes are finally starting to look tour ready- complete with racks, panniers (still waiting on the front ones), and fenders. And of course, we are ecstatic about receiving an $800 scholarship from the Bicycle Touring Pro (see below) which means that we have raised ALL BUDGETED FUNDS FOR THIS TRIP! It seems like yesterday that we deposited our first $100 in the bank downtown all full of high hopes and shining optimism. Thank you again to everybody who has contributed in some way to this trip, whether financially or otherwise. We are so grateful!

Yesterday we headed out for a ride together, hoping to explore the farmland and long country roads south of Carlisle. We made it just out of town before Kerstin’s toe clips weren’t just right, Lauren’s seat needed to be adjusted, and Katie’s seat wouldn’t stop moving from side to side in the frame. Thus, we spent the first hour of our ride camped out in front of the local Walmart adjusting screws, figuring out the use of electrical tape on bike stems, and realizing that no matter how savvy we think we are, we are still very amateur bike mechanics. When we finally got out of town it was just for a short ride but Lauren and Katie made time to stop along the way and present Kerstin with presents for her 23rd birthday!

Happy Birthday Kerstin!

Testing out our new gear

Tonight we are biking to the Dickinson College farm to partake in a community potluck and tomorrow we will be tabling at the Dickinson College Earthfest on Morgan Field to raise additional funds for our trip. We will be selling Localmotive t-shirts and Klean Kanteens. Hope to see you there!